Yoga Mind: Journey Beyond the Physical, 30 Days to Enhance your Practice and Revolutionize Your Life From the Inside Out

by Suzan Colon

Suzan Colon, yoga teacher and former senior editor at O, The Oprah Magazine , digs deep into the spiritual philosophy behind yoga and distills thirty essential components to enrich your practice and revolutionize your life from the inside out.

We live in an increasingly stressful world, and we know about the hazardous effects stress can have on our health. But meditating and mindfulness can sometimes seem elusive, unattainable, and impossible to fit into our busy days. Even the word “yoga” usually makes many people think of complicated, twisty poses—but that’s not everything. In its complete sense, yoga is a collection of life lessons for wellness and well-being and a spiritual technology from ancient times that is now more relevant, and necessary, than ever.

In Yoga Mind , Suzan Colon shares thirty essential components to increase self- awareness and inner balance to use throughout your day—in traffic, on the train, at your job, and home. She outlines how we can use yoga to cultivate resilience in challenging times, reduce stress, and enrich our relationships with family, work, and ourselves.

This guide contains a 30-day program designed to create subtle yet powerful shifts in awareness and attitude that lead to real, lasting change. Whether you’re a hardcore yogi or a beginner to the practice, Yoga Mind can help you unite your body, mind, and heart to become your best self and cultivate lasting happiness in your life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Spirituality, Self Help, Audiobook

274 pages, Paperback

Published February 27, 2018

About the author

I'm the author of Cherries in Winter: My Family's Recipe for Hope in Hard Times, published in hardcover by Doubleday in November, 2010; normally a happy holiday time of year, but that particular November was one of the worst in this economic downfall--kind of timely, since my book was part Recession therapy, part comfort food recipes. Cherries in Winter is out now in paperback with added chapters and recipes.

I've written for O, the Oprah Magazine, Jane, Harper's Bazaar, Details, Rolling Stone, and tons of other magazines. I love magazines; I hope they don't go away.

I've also written three young adult novels based on the Smallville TV series, and a few children's books based on Batman.

I live in New Jersey with my husband, two cats, and an occasional beagle. I am not a great cook, but I try.

Reviews

[Katy O. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life changing ❤️

[serial_jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I actually liked this modern interpretation of ancient yoga philosophy. Although it‘s definitely aimed at new practitioners, it was still cool to be reminded of all the techniques that yoga has to offer for everyday life.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the way the book was organized and the way she explained esoteric concepts in a practical, “Western” way. Also really appreciated the idea that yoga can be practiced by anyone, including someone paralyzed from the neck down. A good book to give to someone completely new to yoga.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I *highly* recommend this book to anyone who is looking to calm and master their mind through intentional effort and ease.

I’ve practiced asana yoga off and on throughout the years, but when I heard about “Yoga Mind,” I was instantly curious. “Yoga Mind” takes the yogic principles and spiritual philosophies and charts a 30-day course by focusing on one each day. Through regular intentional and deep breathing, “Yoga Mind” invites you to consider such principles as karma, mantra, devotion, meditation, faith, and no-harm.

I loved every day of the journey and by the end I felt calmer, kinder to myself and others, more self-aware, and happier. Another *huge* gift this book gave me was stillness. Each exercise invites you to start with deep breathing and then to be still and meditate on some principle or future action. How can you be kinder to yourself? How can you use your faith to move forward in life? Who might need your kindness? This stillness allowed me to reflect on the Bible verse that says “be still and know that I am God.” I did find God, a better version of myself, and much more through going through the exercises in this book.

Again, I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone - mobile and confined to a wheelchair, old and young, troubled and carefree.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the audio book. It had a lot of great reminders as well as some new tactics to help live a more peaceful life. It would be one that I would actually think about purchasing for my own shelf for future reference.

[Sue Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely book well written.

[Thomas McAuley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book calming and inspirational. As a new yoga instructor myself, I could relate to the author's strong feeling of wanting to use her freshly-acquired skills to help a friend, and the accompanying feelings of helplessness or not-enough-ness, faced with the (undisclosed challenge) she and her friend faced. Colón uses simple, essential language to weave yogic lessons through this narrative of friendship and growth.

[Reading Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part memoir, part introduction to 30 yogic terms and concepts.

One of those books, obviously, designed to be read a bit at a time, a section a day, with journaling or meditation practices for each term. Each chapter has an anecdote from Colon's life, but not a random one--she focuses on the stories of Marnie, a dear friend, and Fran, a colleague who had just suffered a catastrophic accident. To be honest, those were the best parts for me. You see her (Colon) struggling to cope in these very real and very awful situations, and how she turns to yoga, time and again, for a tool to help her through. For example for Karuna, she discusses her friend not wanting a fundraiser, and how pretty much everyone involved discovered karuna--part of compassion is the ability to feel that you're contributing, you're doing SOMETHING to help. These stories aren't empty platitudes, but specific and direct to the heart.

It might be confusing how she organizes the terms--though yamas are the first of the 8 limbs, and niyamas the second, they are scattered willy nilly throughout the 30 days. That's not bad, but if you plan to learn this information to teach it to others, it might help to be familiar with those two limbs and how they work together first, just for the clarity of your own mind.

My other quibble, very small, but it is my peeve and I'm going to peeve it--for both 'mantra' and 'japa' she discusses affirmations, but...calls them mantra. Mantram are, if you study your yoga, a science of sound. It's not trying to get the concept into your mind (the way an affirmation does), but to vibrate to the universe at large. I guess I'm a stickler for mantra being, you know, sanskrit mantra. It's not like they're that hard to find these days.

But, overall, if you're looking for a gentle way to 'live your yoga', this book is a wonderful way to introduce concepts not as mere intellectual abstraction, but as story and action.

[Greta Cribbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I wanted to have a deeper understanding of yoga than just the physical (asana) practice. I'm a yoga instructor but I've always shied away from the spiritual aspects of yoga because they feel too religious to me and, being a Christian, the thought of participating in another religion always made me uncomfortable.

I didn't exist in a vacuum. I always had some understanding of yoga spirituality, but what I knew about it sounded very similar to Buddhism to me, and Buddhism, while an admirable philosophy and lifestyle that has positively impacted many individuals, is at odds with my personal beliefs in a number of ways. The main one being the denial of our need to seek a higher power to help us get through this thing called life.

I had heard that yoga, by merit of the fact that it's not an actual religion, could theoretically be practiced within the parameters of any religion, but I was skeptical. All that turning inward felt like a turning away from God. And do you have to believe all that stuff about chakras to truly practice yoga?

Well, this book opened my eyes to a lot of what in reality turned out to be misconceptions. In fact, yoga meditation is completely compatible with Christianity. The only difference is that in Christian meditation you actively invite God to be a part of the process whereas in yoga God is optional. But the key word is optional. You can make yoga meditation into a communion with God if that's what you're seeking.

The only thing I learned in the book that is at odds with my personal beliefs is the idea that karma is negative energy that follows us from our past lives. But since the author of the book states that she doesn't believe that herself, I don't think that's a crucial part of the practice.

Overall this was a very helpful book and I've already started using some of these meditation tips in my own classes.

[Irida · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a beginners practitioner of yoga on and off for about 4 years now. I really like yoga books and I absolutely like this one too. This book is not really about the physical part of yoga describing poses and stretches but teaches us how Yoga can help in other facets of our lives. Ms. Colon very cleverly illustrates these applications of yoga through her anecdotes off her life experiences and that of those of her beloved friends. She clearly demonstrates that yoga is for everyone even for those that are physically disabled. Hence the title "Yoga Mind. Journey beyond the Physical".

The author lead us through 30 days learning experience. For each day, she introduces a new yoga tool and teaches us how it can be applied through her real life experience and and exercise to try out the tool.
This is a great format as the reader can read and focus on daily practice.

Last but not least, through her sharing of her life experiences she provides us with tips and insights and food for thought.

I highly recommend this book!

[Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been practising yoga for more than a year now and each day is an opportunity to learn more about the discipline. While I don't fully practice the spiritual side of yoga, I can personally attest to the wonderful things that happened to my body when I started incorporating the practice in my daily life - better mood, positive outlook, new perspective, not sweating the small stuff and not to mention the new found strength & improved health.

It's wonderful to have the opportunity to read this book and it's that kind of book that you can read first thing in the morning or before you sleep at night. My personal favourite is the part where the ATTITUDES for every yoga pose were enumerated. I've been doing most of these poses, but I wasn't aware of the attitudes that need to be present when you transition on them.

(I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

[Lili · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Netgalley for review:

I am disabled and I am increasingly frustrated at my slow decay of mobility, clearly I need to do something, so I have been looking into Yoga. Sadly a lot of Yoga books are written for and to people who are healthy and mobile...this has not helped with my frustration. So I was glad to find a book about the tenants and psychological aspects of yoga. If I cannot stretch my body, I can stretch my mind until I find a good guide for the physical side of Yoga.

I really enjoyed the principals of Yoga taught in the book, I found them very helpful and clearly described. A large part of the book is the tale of the author's life, I found that it fit the narrative but the book could have been fine without it. So be warned if you want your Yoga books to just be instruction and not the story of how it affected the author.

[Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book introduced a great toolkit for using yoga philosophy in every day life. I liked the way she tied her underlying story of putting yoga mind practices to use in trying to help her recently disabled friend and how more often than not these concepts were actually taught to her outside the classroom (often through her friend) and in contemplating later she was able to use the yoga framework to understand them. The author definitely doesn't push yoga as something to be followed like a religion, instead offering yoga concepts that offer a real positive impact on existing in the real world with death, grief, bad relationships, and everyday struggles that everyone can relate to.

I recommend reading this book if you are someone intrigued by connecting the ideas you briefly touch upon in a yoga class to the way you live your life every day.

[Chattynatty Van Waning · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is proof that some good things come from social media. I first learned about Suzan Colon from her Instagram feed @suzanacolon. She had an offer to read the first chapter of her book. If you liked it then she suggested you order the book. Well the first chapter hooked me. The way in which she introduced different yoga philosophy topics and words was truly personal. I thought I’d be reading about daily yoga poses to practice instead I read a book about how to incorporate breathing, meditation, and general thoughts processes or changes in my thinking to improve my daily living.

The daily prompts are perfect because they are doable in our fast paced lives. This is a needed read for anyone feeling a little overwhelmed with life these days. It would also make a great gift.

[Hanna Van Den Heuvel · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far the most inclusive book on yoga or even meditation I've ever read. Not a TRACE of ablism. It is set up so completely accessibly that absolutely anyone can do yoga and can benefit from it. No need for fancy poses or mantras in an ancient language you do not understand. If you can breathe, even if that's assisted by a machine, you can do yoga. If you have your breath, you have yoga, and if you have yoga, you have the most powerful tool to a to a peaceful, fulfilled life of joy and love and light. I highly recommend this book to absolutely anyone, whether you have practiced yoga previously or not. This will help you tremendously.

[Mia Carelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suzan Colon shares the mental tips and tricks she learned from studying and teaching yoga for decades. The nice 30-day format allows you to take it slow and the simple exercises help to have a more positive, objective and realistic outlook. Anyone can do them. Colon also shares compelling personal anecdotes to illustrate each mental exercise and brings the ancient practice of yoga into the modern world. Sound advice from someone who's been there and done it herself. She is just so sensible!

[Carrie LeAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I like a 30-day approach to just about anything. Now that I've read through the entire book, I would like to start over again and read JUST one chapter a day and spend more time in contemplation of the reading. However, I want to start The Dao De Jing: A Qigong Interpretation, which will probably take more than a year to get through.

[Anizabella Lesmana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book for those who just started to learn and discover the love of Yoga. It’s a 30 days practice book with (mind) tools and Yoga philosophy which is beyond poses that we encounter on the mat. I love how the author aligned the Yoga practice, Philosophy & author’s life anecdotes together in the book. I found it very useful for me to deep dive into it, as I just discovered my love for Yoga last year 🤪 The author perfectly illustrate how Yoga is for everyone and it goes beyond just the physical practice.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book for any yogi who wants to understand the practice of yoga outside of the asanas. Suzan has made this an easy process by taking you on a 30 day journey of exploration of all the yogic principles and how to apply them in your everyday life. She breaks down each of the principles and explains what they look like in the world we live in today.
A book I will refer back to again and again.

[Hannah Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was incredibly helpful to me at a transitional time in my life, in very practical ways. Through these daily lessons and meditation exercises (that are not a heavy time commitment) I learned a lot about myself, what I want, and what I'm capable of. I recommend it for anyone who is looking for a fresh perspective on how not only to be your "best" self, but getting in touch with your true self, in order to be able to able to give back to the world tenfold.

[Faith Tydings · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book, both with its underlying stories of Francesco, Marnie, and Suzan herself, and its over reaching wisdom of yoga and all it can do for humanity and you as an individual. I listened to this book on audio and promptly ordered a hard copy before I’d even reached chapter three. I plan on doing the 30 day Yoga Mind practices and spreading them out long enough to really absorb the power of each lesson. I highly recommend this book.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a MUST READ for anyone looking to understand and deepen their yoga practice. Not only does the author outline the basic tenets of yoga, she weaves a story of humanity and love throughout this exceptional read. Her prose is simple and the philosophy behind yoga is easy to understand and follow. This is a book I have highlighted, underlined and already used in theming my yoga classes. I highly recommend this book!

[KJ Grow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I so enjoyed this breezy introduction to yoga philosophy and concepts through the framework of 30 days of practice and devotion. Interwoven with personal anecdote, and a true sense of beginner’s mind, this is exactly the kind of gateway book that will inspire people to go deeper in their practice and remind those of us who have been at this for a while how yogic living can be so simple, yet so challenging, quietly transformative, and profound.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully-written book that combines touching and relevant personal stories with clear, concise, and practical explanations of yoga philosophy. Not only did I enjoy diving into this over the past month, but I will keep it on my bookshelf to occasionally revisit. It will be the perfect thing to pick up and randomly choose a day/topic to refresh and explore more deeply.

[Hiiba Khld · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for those who practice asanas and aim to deepen their practice with 30 tools from Yoga philosophy in a practical way, so that yoga can be a real life journey, not only a physical activity...
What i loved about the book is the story behind it, and the chance the author had to see the light in these tools with her friend Francesco...I learned a lot from it, so thanks Susan! ♡

[Jeremiah · Rating 3 out of 5]

An editor for a magazine becomes a yoga teacher. At the same time, one of her fellow workers becomes fully paralyzed and a best friend dies. Through the use of sharing yoga to her two friends, we learn about yoga and how it can be used in your life.

The author is a pretty good writer and is a nice primer about Yoga.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are eight limbs of yoga, only one of which (asana) has anything to do with the physical postures and movement most Americans think of when they hear the word yoga. If you’re looking to learn more about the broader philosophy of yoga, this book offers a really user-friendly introduction.

[Carolina Caroleta · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best yoga book i have ever read. Yoga is so much more than the asanas we practice. Her book is very relatable. The author combines her personal stories with yoga teaching. This book is a must read for all you yogis out there 👍🏻

[Katie R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this at just the right time — I completed my yoga training this summer, and as the season’s turned to fall, I’ve been figuring out my style. This book inspired me as a teacher, as well as a practitioner. I can’t wait to start implementing these tools in teaching and my own practice.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all time favorite books. I've already sent some copies to friends. Yoga is more than simply getting in crazy positions; your mind can get you to where you need to be for your well being. Highly recommend it!